Christmas Parades in San Diego 2026: Dates by Area

San Diego Christmas parades 2026: the dates

These are the holiday parades in San Diego County with 2026 dates published by the organizer or listed on the San Diego Tourism Authority’s official holiday calendar, in date order. Start times are included only where an official 2026 page gives one, so check each site again the week of the parade.

• Saturday, November 28: Surfin’ Santa Arrival at Seaport Village, a boardwalk parade with live music and street performers.
• Friday, December 4: Coronado Holiday Parade and Tree Lighting, Orange Avenue.
• Saturday, December 5: OB Holiday Parade, Newport Avenue, Ocean Beach.
• Saturday, December 5: Encinitas Holiday Parade, Coast Highway 101.
• Saturday, December 5: Chula Vista Starlight Parade and Festival, Third Avenue; parade at 6 p.m.
• Sunday, December 6: La Jolla Christmas Parade and Holiday Festival; parade from 1 p.m. (see the note on timing below).
• Saturday, December 12: Pacific Beach Holiday Parade, Garnet Avenue, 1 p.m.
• Saturday, December 12: Mission Bay Christmas Boat Parade of Lights.
• Sundays, December 13 and 20: San Diego Bay Parade of Lights, from 5:30 p.m.

Coronado, La Jolla and the beach towns

Coronado Holiday Parade and Tree Lighting, Friday, December 4. The Coronado Chamber of Commerce has confirmed the 2026 date on its own page. The tourism authority’s listing describes the route as running from the Ferry Landing down Orange Avenue toward the Hotel del Coronado, with business open houses, live music, sing-alongs and a tree lighting at Rotary Park. The chamber had not posted 2026 start times when we checked, so look again in late November.

OB Holiday Parade, Saturday, December 5. Ocean Beach has held its parade on Newport Avenue for more than 40 years, and the OB Community Foundation has already named the 2026 theme, “Jingle Jungle Boogie!” The foundation had not posted a 2026 start time yet; in 2025 the parade stepped off at 5:05 p.m. from the corner of Newport Avenue and Sunset Cliffs Boulevard.

La Jolla Christmas Parade and Holiday Festival, Sunday, December 6. The 70th annual parade runs about 90 minutes, starting at Kline Street and Girard Avenue and ending at the La Jolla Recreation Center at Draper Avenue and Prospect Street, where a free holiday festival runs from 1 to 5 p.m. One note: the organizers’ site lists the parade start as 1 p.m. in its header and 1:30 p.m. in its FAQ, so confirm the time before you stake out a curb. The organizers say the event has never been canceled in its history and goes ahead rain or shine unless a severe storm arrives. ADA parking needs a pass arranged in advance through the organizers.

Pacific Beach Holiday Parade, Saturday, December 12. Discover PB lists the 46th annual parade, themed “Holiday Magic,” starting at 1 p.m. on Garnet Avenue from Haines Street to Bayard Street. It is a daytime parade, which makes it an easy pick with small children.

Boat parades: Mission Bay and San Diego Bay

San Diego’s most distinctive holiday parades happen on the water, and both are free to watch from shore.

The Mission Bay Christmas Boat Parade of Lights is listed for Saturday, December 12, 2026, and traditionally opens with a fireworks show from SeaWorld before decorated boats cruise the bay. No 2026 start time was posted when we checked, so look for it closer to the date.

The 56th San Diego Bay Parade of Lights sails on two Sundays, December 13 and 20, 2026, starting at 5:30 p.m. Organizers expect about 80 decorated boats on the 2026 theme, “Liberty Lights the Bay – Cheers to 250 Years.” The route follows the bayfront to the pier at Chicano Park and then turns toward Coronado, so you can watch from the downtown waterfront, from Chicano Park or from the Coronado side. Organizers say the event draws more than 100,000 people and ask spectators to arrive early, because the top spots fill.

In North County, the Oceanside Yacht Club’s Harbor Parade of Lights was held on Saturday, December 13, 2025, from 7 to 9 p.m., and no 2026 date was posted when we checked; Visit Oceanside suggests watching from near the fishing dock, where the boats pass twice.

South Bay and North County parades

Chula Vista Starlight Parade and Festival, Saturday, December 5. The 62nd annual event fills Third Avenue between E and H Streets. KPBS’s 2026 listing gives the schedule as a holiday market and festival with free Santa photos from 3 p.m., the tree lighting at 5:30 p.m. and the Starlight Parade at 6 p.m., with floats, marching bands, dance groups and classic cars. Times may change, so check the parade’s own site before you go.

Encinitas Holiday Parade, Saturday, December 5. Floats and bands travel along Coast Highway 101 through downtown Encinitas. Confirm the start time with the City of Encinitas before you go.

Other North County towns: we found no official 2026 parade dates for Escondido, Carlsbad or Poway when we checked in late October. Check each city’s events page in November, when many smaller parades are announced. Poway’s Christmas in the Park, listed for December 11 and 12, is a tree lighting and Santa event at Old Poway Park rather than a parade.

East County: what is and isn’t a parade in 2026

El Cajon’s Mother Goose Parade has been a local tradition since 1947. It has not been held as a live parade since 2020. FOX 5 reported a community push, backed by Mayor Bill Wells, to bring it back by Thanksgiving 2026, but as of late October 2026 we could not find an official 2026 date or route. Treat any date on a generic event calendar with caution, and check the City of El Cajon and local news. Downtown El Cajon’s Holiday Lights on Sunday, December 6 (3 to 7 p.m., tree lighting at 6:30 p.m.) is a street festival, not a parade.

In Lakeside, the Chamber of Commerce’s Spirit of Christmas on Saturday, December 5, lists a 5 p.m. community tree lighting and Santa’s arrival at the Olde Presbyterian Church, but its 2026 page does not list a parade. Ramona had no 2026 holiday parade listing that we could find.

If what you really want is costumes and pageantry moving through a crowd, the Yuletide Medieval Festival at El Monte County Park in Lakeside holds a King’s Procession every festival day, December 5-6 and 12-13. It is a ticketed living-history festival rather than a Christmas parade, with a daily battle pageant and knights in tournament, and children 10 and under get in free.

Tips for watching a San Diego holiday parade

The first weekend of December is the busiest of the season, with Coronado, Ocean Beach, Encinitas, Chula Vista and La Jolla all within three days. If you want one more East County outing that weekend, the medieval festival in Lakeside runs Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

• Arrive early. Curbside spots on Orange Avenue, Girard Avenue and the bayfront fill well before start time.
• Bring folding chairs and layers: evening parades start after sunset, which falls around 4:40 p.m. in early December, and the waterfront gets chilly.
• Use transit or park outside the route. La Jolla’s organizers publish a no-parking map and point visitors to MTS.
• Pair parades by area: Coronado on Friday, then Chula Vista or Ocean Beach on Saturday, makes a full first weekend.
• Check times twice. Several 2026 pages still list only dates, and organizers often post schedules in late November.

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